Moveable Feasts: Foodie Road Trips 2013

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS

ROUND-TRIP FROM DENVER: 312 MILESLaundry 127 11th St., Steamboat Springs 970-870-0681, thelaundryrestaurant.com
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Sandals and stilettos find equal acceptance at this temple of elevated comfort food housed in a 103-year-old brick building—the original Steamboat Laundry Dry Cleaning & Pressing, according to faded lettering on the restaurant’s exterior. “This is a place where you can come in jeans and a T-shirt or you can get dressed up, but you’ll feel comfortable either way,” says owner Rex Brice, who opened Laundry, his sixth Steamboat restaurant, in 2012 on the northeast side of town. The affordable menu (items rarely top $20) is as wide-ranging as the dress code, and it changes with the seasons. Regulars watch as winter’s roasted beets give way to fresh greens with grilled apples come spring, and a Southern-inspired shrimp entree replaces the rich ricotta agnolotti tossed in a heavenly mixture of kale, sage, and brown butter. One dish we wish remained year-round: the Brussels sprouts hash, a lively blend of the roasted veggie, crisp onions, bacon bits, and creamy goat cheese that will leave you satisfied, refueled, and ready to lace up your hiking boots. —Daliah Singer

Sit: At the bar. The restaurant reserves the entire area for walk-ins, and the bartenders know the menu as well as the servers.Eat: Crispy smoked pork belly with arugula, watermelon, red onion, and mintKnow: The bricks you’re surrounded by are the originals used to build the Steamboat Laundry, which occupied the space until 1977.

WHILE YOU’RE THEREStay Located right on the main strip of Lincoln Avenue, Hotel Bristol harks back to its 1948 heritage with Pendleton blankets, rotary telephones, and impeccable service. Hotel Bristol, 917 Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs; 1-800-851-0872, steamboathotelbristol.comWatch The rodeo is a regular visitor to Steamboat each summer. Pop open a can of beer and settle into the bleachers for steer wrestling and bull riding every Friday and Saturday through August 17.Ride Rent an inner tube and hop into the Yampa River, the only free-flowing river (not obstructed by dams or diversions) in the state. Just be ready for some bumpy (Class II and III) rapids as you drift through town.

VAIL

ROUND-TRIP FROM DENVER: 194 MILESMountain Standard 193 Gore Creek Drive, Vail 970-476-0123, mtnstandard.com
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Chef Paul Anders takes campfire cooking to a whole other plane at eight-month-old Mountain Standard, the satellite tavern of Kevin Clair and Matt Morgan’s Sweet Basil, a beloved Vail institution. There is no oven here; Anders cooks everything over an open fire. Olives roast in the coals, flames lick the skins of rotisserie chickens, and porchetta arrives slow-cooked, smoky, tender, and swoon-worthy. This is seriously refined campfire cuisine, buoyed by more than 36 years of restaurant experience (Clair opened Sweet Basil in 1977): Servers respond quickly and adeptly to requests, water glasses stay full, and the wine pairings never miss. Warmed by Anders’ blaze, the snug tables and booths, and a glass of crisp Grüner Veltliner, you can’t help but feel at home. —AMF

Sit: If you want to get cozy, request one of the booths facing the kitchen. If you want to celebrate being in Vail, ask for a table on the patio overlooking the banks of Gore Creek.Eat: Shrimp and grits with Creole butter, piquillo peppers, and pancettaSip: Even Mountain Standard’s Bloody Mary gets fired: The charred tomato base—which mixes well with Ketel One vodka—adds a smooth, delicate note of smoke.

WHILE YOU’RE THEREStay While we love the heated stone tile floors in Vail Mountain Lodge’s 27 rooms, the spa—quite possibly the best in the state—is the real draw.
After your salt glow, spend extra time in the Solarium, a blissed-out, glassed-in room overlooking stands of swaying pines and Gore Creek.
Vail Mountain Lodge, 352 E. Meadow Drive, Vail; 1-888-794-0410, vailmountainlodge.comRide Bring your road bike and work off the calories by pedaling 8.7 miles up to the top of Vail Pass. Or double down and cruise over to Copper Mountain before turning around and hustling back up and over the 10,603-foot summit.Catch Summer anglers can take advantage of Gore Creek Fly Fisherman’s free fly-casting clinics every day at 10:30 a.m. Gore Creek Fly Fisherman, 675 Lionshead Place, Vail; 970-476-5042, gorecreekflyfisherman.com

TELLURIDE

ROUND-TRIP FROM DENVER: 724 MILESCosmopolitan Restaurant 300 W. San Juan Ave., Telluride; 970-728-1292, cosmotelluride.com
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To get one of the best meals in Colorado, you have to travel to one of the state’s farthest corners. But one taste of chef Chad Scothorn’s food will quickly erase the memory of those highway miles. Scothorn’s globe-trotting menu features surprising dishes like creative sushi rolls, Colorado lamb chops, and whimsical, decadent lobster corn dogs, all delivered by a team of genial servers. And with a wine list ticking past 200 options, Cosmo guarantees the perfect accompaniment to any dish—including the wild blueberry pie with sour cream ice cream, a dessert so plate-scrapingly delicious you’ll (almost) be glad it’s too far away to order every night. —Luc Hatlestad

Eat: The surf and turf and crab-stuffed chicken breast entréesSit: Cosmo lives just across the street from
Telluride’s gondola, so grab a window seat for great people-watching in summer or winter.Know: The restaurant is on the ground floor of Telluride’s Hotel Columbia, so dubbed in honor of the town’s original name. Gold Rush–era officials changed the town’s name from Columbia to Telluride to avoid confusing postal service workers delivering mail to Columbia, California.

WHILE YOU'RE THEREStay There are really two Tellurides: the old, historic town and the newer, glossier Mountain Village. We suggest checking in at the New Sheridan Hotel, located on the town’s historic main drag, for a more authentic Western experience. New Sheridan Hotel, 231 W. Colorado Ave., Telluride; 1-800-200-1891, newsheridan.comShop & Sip Browse through Two Skirts, and you might forget you’re in a secluded mountain hamlet. The high-end boutique stocks statement-worthy lines such as Herno and Yoaa Baraschi. Refresh with a post-shopping margarita at La Cocina de Luz. Two Skirts, 127 W. Colorado Ave., Telluride; 970-728-6828, twoskirts.net; La Cocina de Luz, 123 E. Colorado Ave., Telluride; 970-728-9355, lacocinatelluride.comListen Catch the 37th annual Telluride Jazz Festival (August 2 to 4) with the Motet, the Stanley Clarke Band, and Galactic. Telluride Jazz Festival, telluridejazz.org

LONGMONT

ROUND-TRIP FROM DENVER: 77.5 MILESGeorgia Boys BBQ 237 Collyer St., Longmont 720-999-4099, georgiaboysbbqcompany.com
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What lobster roll stands are to the Northeast, barbecue shacks are to the South (and now Colorado): Homey, unexpected spots where locals go for an unfussy taste of the region. Nestled alongside a Longmont mechanic’s shop and within earshot of the train tracks, a small yellow house with eight picnic tables out front and two rocking chairs on the porch (of course) holds what may well be the best barbecue in the West. Opened in July 2011 by Nickolas Reckinger and Matt Alexander—fraternity brothers from, yes, Georgia—the joint leans on family recipes. Beginning at 6 a.m. each morning, the 500- and 1,000-pound hickory smokers emit an aroma not often found this side of the Mississippi: the siren scent of pulled pork, pulled chicken, and beef brisket so expertly smoked that the Georgia Boys’ five delicious homemade sauces seem superfluous. Try them anyway, and leave room for the roster of other expertly crafted Southern staples. —Lindsey B. Koehler

Sit: Barbecue is made for outdoor dining, which is just as well because Georgia Boys has only two indoor tables.Eat: The brisket burnt ends with collards ’n’ mustard and Good Ol’ BBQ BeansDrink: Home-brewed sweet tea

WHILE YOU'RE THEREShop Nothing in Denver rivals Longmont’s Cheese Importers—a bistro-kitchenware-cheese combination shop—for a delightful and unexpected shopping experience. Cheese Importers,103 Main St., Longmont; 303-772-9599, cheeseimporters.comGrow Turn green-thumb aspirations into reality at the massive yet easy-to-navigate Flower Bin Garden Center, home to everything from a greenhouse full of roses to a selection of hanging flowerpots that has no equal in the metro area. The Flower Bin Garden Center, 1805 Nelson Road, Longmont; 303-772-3454, theflowerbin.net

CRESTED BUTTE

ROUND-TRIP FROM DENVER: 456 MILESThe Secret Stash Pizzeria and Groove Emporium 303 Elk Ave., Crested Butte 970-349-6245, stashpizza.com
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Finding a greasy, carb-loaded, cheese-worshipping pizza place in a mountain town is the easy part. Quality pie, though—that’s difficult to come by. Unless you happen to wander into the Secret Stash Pizzeria and Groove Emporium on Crested Butte’s Elk Avenue. Here, the menu is as eclectic as the decor. Ignore the Buddha statues and tiki souvenirs, and dive into bizarre, divine pies such as the New Potato Caboose, a cheeky take on a baked potato (tubers, bacon, green onions, cheddar, and sour cream), or the Mac Daddy, a sesame-seed crust topped with Thousand Island dressing, rib-eye steak, onions, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, lettuce, and pickles. Too weird? Trust us, you should give it a try. Your taste buds have traveled too far for mere pepperoni. —Natasha Gardner

Sit: Soak up the mountain air on the busy patio.Eat: The Notorious F.I.G., which is dotted with figs, blue cheese, and prosciuttoKnow: Like many of Crested Butte’s buildings, the structure has a long history. Built in 1938, the space once housed the town’s general store.

WHILE YOU'RE THEREStay Never mind the slopeside access or the balconies with stunning views at the Elevation Hotel & Spa; it’s the luxurious spa that keeps us coming back. Try the 25-minute Mini Escape Massage for a quick hit of “me time” and plan for an extra-long shower: The “rainfall” showerheads are downright dreamy. Elevation Hotel & Spa, 500 Gothic Road, Crested Butte; 1-800-600-2803, elevationhotelandspa.comSip The Caribbean might be rum’s home turf, but after sipping a Habanero Mango Martini (rum, mango, agave, lime, and habanero slices) at the Montanya Distillers tasting room, you’ll begin to associate the tropical booze with a different altitude. Montanya Distillers, 130 Elk Ave., Crested Butte; 970-799-3206, montanyarum.comHike The two-mile trek to the Judd Falls overlook is family friendly (read: it’s a jeep road). This means fewer blisters and fewer “Are we there yet?” queries. You’ll hear the falls before you see them. As you get close, keep an eye out for the perfectly perched bench—you’ll know it when you see it. Be careful as you take in the two cascading waterfalls; the drop-off is steep. The Judd Falls trailhead is about five miles north of Mt. Crested Butte on Gothic Road.

ASPEN

ROUND-TRIP FROM DENVER: 318 MILESElement 47 675 E. Durant Ave., Aspen; 970-920-6330, element47aspen.com
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From the blackened steel, dark wood, and plush leather decor to the exquisite citrus-cured fluke with blood orange and Castelvetrano olives, Element 47 gleams. And suitably so. Unveiled by the Little Nell Hotel last December, the restaurant was named for silver (the precious metal is 47 on the periodic table), an allusion to Aspen’s mining town roots. But executive chef Robert McCormick’s contemporary dishes hardly recall the cuisine of 1891. Dishes such as the delicate
Anjou pear tortellini with pickled chanterelles illustrate a sophisticated touch, and an extensive wine list (compiled by the three master sommeliers on staff) is an elegant, if French-heavy, representation of the best of the world’s vines. It may sound fussy, but there’s an inherent approachability that permeates every aspect of Element 47. —AMF

Sit: Find a table on the sun-drenched patio or inside near the windows and glimpse
Aspen Mountain’s slopes.Eat: Emma Farm Wagyu beef steak with tortellini, morel mushrooms, spring onions, and bone marrowKnow: The dessert options are mouthwatering (Dark chocolate praline mousse! Doughnut holes with lemon curd!), but no one will question you if you order the make-your-own sundae (choose from M&M’s, hot fudge, chopped peanuts, whipped cream, and three kinds of house-made ice cream) from the children’s menu.

WHILE YOU'RE THEREStay An Aspen mainstay for more than 120 years, the Hotel Jerome is a piece of living history—but recent renovations mean you’re also steeped in luxury (think oversize marble bathrooms and plasma TVs). After an active day, retreat to the cozy Living Room Bar for cocktails and a snack (we suggest the ciabatta toast with a mini Mason jar of goat’s milk cheddar pimento spread). Hotel Jerome, 330 E. Main St., Aspen; 970-920-1000, hoteljerome.aubergeresorts.comListen Every summer since 1949, the Aspen Music Festival has gathered the world’s best classical musicians. And you don’t even need a ticket to enjoy them. Just bring a blanket and a picnic and perch on the lawn outside the music tent (located at 980 N. Third St.). Although you won’t see the musicians play, you’ll hear the glorious sounds of chamber music under a canopy of rustling aspen trees. The festival runs through August 18 with concerts scheduled daily.Aspen Music Festival, aspenmusicfestival.comSee The stunning Maroon Bells just outside of Aspen get a lot of attention—and crowds. Avoid the hordes with a trip up Castle Creek Road instead (the valley is just one drainage over), where meadows, stands of aspens, empty hillsides, and the impressive snow-capped Hayden Peak await for your Instagram-ing pleasure.